Sometimes a life event is so shocking, scary or painful that a part of our energy goes off and hides from it. A soul retrieval is the returning to the individual of that soul part. A skilled Shaman can find the missing soul fragment, provide the necessary healing, return and reintegrate it.

Soul fragments may not return for many years, some even stay hidden or lost for several lifetimes. Often the original event has been buried so deeply within the subconscious of the individual that it isn’t until they are receiving healing that the need for soul retrieval becomes apparent.

The soul fragment that broke away is usually frozen in time, so if the shocking event happened in early childhood the Shaman will find a young child, often still hiding and afraid. Soul loss can occur at any point in our lives and it is always worth checking whether a soul retrieval is necessary following a traumatic event.

It is down to the skill and patience of the Shaman to find the soul part and gain his or her trust. If the soul part is a child who has been scared they may require a lot of coaxing before they are ready to return. They’ll need gentle care. If they are bedraggled and dirty they’ll need cleansing, if they look hungry they’ll need feeding, if they are distressed they’ll need calming, just like any refugee from a hostile situation would.

It is up to the soul fragment whether they’ll re-integrate. Soul parts must never be bullied or rushed back, they usually left because they couldn’t cope with what was happening so they need to feel it is safe to come back now. The client needs to be ready to welcome their return psychologically and be in a fit state to receive them otherwise the reintegration may not work. When the circumstances are right the soul fragment will often simply step up to the individual and blend back into their energy, but if they are unsure they may stay separated and observe until they can trust the situation.

The more aware we become of our own energy the more we may notice that part of ourselves has got stuck in our past. If months or years go by following a shock or trauma and you feel you ‘haven’t been the same since’, or you’ve felt dispirited, then there is a chance that you have suffered soul loss. You may still require healing or counselling to help you process that life event, so of course seek professional advice alongside soul retrieval.

I see healing as the art of bringing wholeness to the individual, indeed the words ‘heal’ and ‘whole’ come from the same root. When we recover and reintegrate our soul fragments we are in the process of becoming more whole.